Heel by Philip José Farmer

In this wildly inventive retelling of the Trojan War, the gods are not distant immortals but a futuristic film crew directing the conflict from a spaceship above the battlefield. Zeus, the arrogant Director, and Hera, his glamorous, meddling wife, treat the war like a high-stakes production, while Apollo shifts between messenger and schemer as the "Script" keeps changing. Below them, Achilles burns with fury over Agamemnon's insults and asks his mother Thetis to petition Zeus, so the Greek king will be humbled and forced to beg for his aid. As mortals struggle with pride, grief, and honor, the gods haggle over ratings, timing, and career moves, exposing a sharp satire of divine ego and studio politics. Apollo's dangerous proposal to hasten the war and drive Achilles back into action deepens the absurdity, especially as Hera reacts with a mix of outrage and fascination. Blending Homeric tragedy with dark science-fiction comedy, the story turns epic heroism into a dazzling backstage farce. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.